Lane County Farmers Market in downtown Eugene on a warm, sunny day (my photo)
The following is a piece
regarding the future of Eugene’s downtown urban renewal district penned by the
members of AIA-SWO’s Committee on Local Affairs for submission to The
Register-Guard as a Letter to the Editor on the paper’s Opinion page. CoLA also
intends to send the letter to Eugene city councilors, the mayor, and the City
Manager.
The Committee on Local Affairs (CoLA) of the American
Institute of Architects – Southwestern Oregon Chapter endorses extension of the
downtown Eugene urban renewal district. Extending the district would fund
downtown projects that in turn would attract high-quality private development
consistent with the City’s long-term objectives.
Opponents argue urban renewal districts siphon money out of
the city’s general fund but this isn’t entirely true. Tax increment financing
reserves any increase in property tax proceeds for improvements inside
the urban renewal district. In other words, higher revenue attributable to
increases in the assessed value of properties, which might not otherwise have
occurred or been as pronounced without investment within the district, are
reinvested there to further encourage desirable outcomes. The result can be a
positive feedback cycle wherein financing of downtown infrastructure
improvements begets needed private sector development resulting in additional income
from property taxes, which funds further public investment, and so on.
Yes, dissolution of an urban renewal district once all debt
is repaid should be the ultimate goal. When dissolution occurs the entire city would
benefit from the increased property base within it; however, CoLA does not
believe now is the time. What we do believe is that we must capitalize upon the
momentum of downtown Eugene’s recent resurgence.
Everyone wins when our downtown core is economically prosperous
and a vibrant, inviting, and safe center for business, government, culture, and
housing. It should be the heart of our community’s regional economy, one that
buoys the entire city. CoLA strongly supports extending the urban renewal
district as a significant means to achieve these widely shared and far-reaching
goals.
Austin Bailey, Scott Clarke, Randy Nishimura, and Travis
Sheridan
Members, Committee on Local Affairs, American Institute of
Architects – Southwestern Oregon Chapter
2 comments:
This seems to be another turn of the wheel. The downtown renewal (before I moved to Eugene) ended up looking like Chernobyl. When I lived in Eugene it never occurred to me to shop downtown for example, always Valley River, endless stores, plenty of free parking and no corrupt parking authority manufacturing tickets.
Dennis: I agree the history of urban renewal in Eugene is not a stellar one. But that was then and this is now. I like to think we've all learned from past mistakes about what it takes to make our downtown core work better (fingers crossed).
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